Travel chaos: 59,000 stranded as airport shuts
The travel plans of thousands of Australians have been disrupted, as authorities move to close Bali’s Denpasar airport due to the growing Mount Agung ash cloud.
Almost 59,000 travellers have been left stranded by the volcanic activity that is expected to escalate over the coming days. Airlines have cancelled flights to and from Denpasar airport, with stranded travellers forced to sleep at the airport terminal.
Mount Agung volcano, which caused 445 flights to be cancelled on Monday, continues to spew dangerous volcanic ash 9km into the sky above Bali.
Australian budget carrier Jetstar acknowledged last night that, “Further disruptions are possible this week depending on weather conditions”.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, which is keeping an eye on the situation from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin, said the eruption was “steadily increasing”.
“Ash is currently observed to a height of 30,000 feet (or 9144 metres) and a small amount of ash has fallen at Denpasar Airport and across Bali’s south east,” the centre said.
#Bali Volcano: The departure board for Denpasar airport: Cathay Pacific, Virgin, Qantas & Air Asia have cancelled their flights. All others operating as scheduled. Interesting... pic.twitter.com/XyG9ZoJ51l
— 🌏 Pixie P ✈ (@ThePixiePress) November 26, 2017
Jetstar confirmed all yesterday’s flights were cancelled due to worsening conditions.
“While these disruptions are frustrating, we will always put safety before schedule. We appreciate our customers’ patience,” the airline on Monday morning.
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